And I you
by Envo
Summary: Itasaku Non-Massacre. He crave her more than he would ever, he could ever admit. Together, she made them complete.
1. And I you

Title- And I you

By- Envo

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

* * *

-

Chapter 1

And I you

-

_The academy days..._

It all started on that day.

He was walking down the pathway to the academy thinking of things he would do that afternoon with time on his hands, and training was the first thing that came in mind.

But before he was able to detour to the smaller path leading way to the training grounds, his keen ear picked up a soft sobbing that halted him in mid-step. Curiosity took over before he could and he found himself moving towards the origin of the distressing sound.

His footsteps slowed to a stop as he took in the scenery before him. To his right was the ever familiar academy which he once attended in a short amount of time; to his left, was the small playground where, he had often waited his little brother to greet him with a hug and a big smile as he walked his little sibling back home.

Though the sun was still high up, the playground was emptied of screaming and running children. All except for one.

He narrowed his eyes before moving towards the lone, hunched figure on the ground cautiously. As he came closer, he found himself staring at a little pink haired girl with her face buried deep within her thin arms, that were hooked around her knees. Her body shook and heaved as her breath came wheezing in and out along each sob.

"Please leave me alone," came a tiny whisper when he stepped foot into the sandy ground of the playground and stopped before the girl.

When she heard no reply, her head jerked up and two watery emerald pools looked deep into his obsidian ones. "Aren't you going to laugh at me?"

Hearing nothing in return, the girl in front of him looked at him first then sneaked a quick glance out of the corner of her eye before adding another wave of shudder to her already trembling body.

He followed her eyes and saw a small dirt path leading into the nearby trees, but as his eyes made their way back to the girl, he saw dots of red staining the sandy floor of the playground. Then it all made sense when he took a closer look her. Face dirtied, her knees and hands were cut, possible from attempting to break a fall; the sandy surface of the ground itself told a similar story as it was roughly disturbed.

Just as his attentions refocused on the girl, he found her peering at him with curious eyes through her fingertips after having calmed down a bit. He finally took the cue and spoke to break the soon-to-be uncomfortable silence.

"You are bleeding." His tone was impassive as he gazed down at her, whose eyes swept through all her injuries and took it all in with acceptance.

Wordlessly, he bent down and lifted her up in his arms and started towards the hospital.

"I'll take you to the hospital."

"You are nice, different from all of them. Thank you, eh…?''

"…Uchiha Itachi."

A small giggle erupted from her. "Thank you, Uchiha-san."

Upon hearing the way she addressed him, he stiffened.

"You don't like 'Uchiha-san', Uchiha-san?"

He blinked, then regained his normal stoic façade and ignored her question; even he, himself didn't know the answer to that touchy question either. "Yours?"

Beaming, the girl in his hands gave him a teary smile and replied softly. "Haruno Sakura."

Showing emotions such as tears was uncommon among his clan, even missions alike, it showed only one's weakness; yet Sakura's smile reached him like no other. It was… innocent. It was foreign to him, the word innocent. Born and raised in a clan like his, he was anything but. He couldn't quite understand this sudden feeling, nor could he explain the sudden twist in his chest.

The rest of the journey was made in silence.

A wave of cool air rushed towards the pair as they walked into the pearly white hospital of Konoha.

"Take care, Haruno-san," he muttered before handing Sakura to a blushing nurse who came rushing by and took Sakura from his arms.

Waving back, the little pink hair girl shouted, "Thank you again, Itachi-san."

His lips curled the slightest at her intelligence. It seems he had found himself an interesting little thing.

* * *

Standing beside her bed, he looked down at her sleeping form.

It had been months after that incident and for unknown reasons, he couldn't stop himself from visiting the playground just to watch her whenever he didn't have a mission at hand.

Seeing her came running toward him sparked an unknown feeling inside him that he had never felt before. And before he knew it, he was attached to this little girl.

Having just gotten back from a two week long mission, he craved her cheerfulness more than he would ever admit. She made him felt complete.

Slipping silently through her unlocked window, he landed into her room to find her soundly asleep.

Lying in her bed with her pink hair sprayed across the pillow, she looked much too young and fragile to take on the duties of a shinobi; yet he knew she would be enrolled in the academy soon.

Her ability on taking everything in a stride amazed him; for a little girl such as her, her intellects was on par with that of an adult's.

But he couldn't deny the similarities between the two of them. In some ways, she was very much like him in his younger years. They were outcasts among their age group, no matter how much they tried to please them. Him, being a genius and she, being different from others –or so they think.

"_You are the only one that bothered to talk to me, Itachi-san. Everyone else just laughed at me and my forehead."_

_It was a sunny afternoon, and while on the way back to the Uchiha district from his mission, he stopped by the playground beside the academy, as usual._

"_I don't see anything wrong."_

_He found her sitting on the swing with her legs swung freely, alone._

_She swept away her bangs and pointed to her uncovered forehead. "See, it's huge. They call me ugly because of it."_

_Finding himself almost unable to resist the urge to chuckle, he bent down and patted her on the head. "It's foolish to allow such things get to you."_

_She swept her hand again, and pink locks flew back down once more. "You are the only person who cared." Droplets of tears started to form in the corner of her eyes._

_He said nothing as he reached over and wiped away the trials of tears on her porcelain face._

_Her shocked face turned towards his. "Are you not well, Itachi-san?" Her voice laced with worry and she stood up from the swing._

Was it really strange for him to act this way?

_With a hand tagged on his white vest, she made him bend down to near eye level before she tiptoed and gently touched her forehead to his. Her green eyes stared wide into his with concern, he gave a soft chuckle. Such innocent, naïve mind…_

Perhaps…

_A sudden change of wind caught his attention and he placed Sakura behind him in a flash. His eyes scanned the surrounding trees, and then moments later, an ANBU emerged slowly from their left. _

_Deadpanned, he turned towards the ANBU silently with his blazing red orbs, trademark of the Uchiha clan. Silently, he waited._

"_Uchiha-san, the Hokage requests your presence at his office immediately."_

_He nodded curtly at the man and dismissed him before giving his attention to the pair of hands tagging softly on his uniform from his back._

"_Are you going on a mission again?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Be safe."_

_Lifting his brows, he looked at the girl with slight curiosity._

"_I don't like Itachi-san getting hurt on missions. Please be careful." Sakura pulled a face, and immediately, he knew she was recalling a memory of him being hospitalized for an entire week._

_He ruffled her hair. "It's foolish for a little girl like you to worry such trifle things."_

_She smiled then. "I worry, Itachi-san. It means I care."_

_A surge of warmth filled him fully when those words hit him, and he carried the sensation with him to his next mission. _

She was the only one who said those words to him and meant it other than his mother.

Ever since the word 'genius' was branded on him when he was a mere child, his life had never been the same.

He was forced to spend hours after hours, days after days to train like a true genius would. Never had his father loosen the tight leash he placed on his own son. He was the 'pride of the clan', his father often said, and he was to make the clan proud.

When others of his age were enjoying their carefree child play, he was out with missions after missions in the name of protecting the village; staining his hands with stranger's blood ever since they day he graduated from the academy.

It wasn't long before he rose to the rank of ANBU.

With the price paid by his youth, he had never experience what it was like to be normal. What it was like to be an innocent child knowing nothing of the world; far from the tainted blood and the stench of death.

'Normal', he thought mockingly. It was the one thing that he couldn't have.

People of the same age as him looked at him with awe and admiration while older people talk of him behind his back with fear and disgust. He knew it all. He had impressed both sides, yet belonged to none.

He was alone. His accomplishments build barriers after barriers, separating him from the two worlds.

Not even his family could offer the comfort he sought the most. Everyone expected him to do things most people couldn't do at his age, yet no one looked at him for what he was. He was always _Uchiha Itachi_ and never just _Itachi._

"_I worry, Itachi-san. It means I care."_

Only her.

The pink haired figure stirred and caught his wayward attention.

Bending down, he covered her small form with blankets.

"_It means I care."_

"And I you, Sakura."

* * *

A/N: This is a re-write of the previous version _And I you_. I've decided to link up all of the one-shots I've written so far for Itasaku under one story. So far, I've estimated the chapters to be around 4-5 shots, so it shouldn't change unless my muse kicked in again, which... well we'll see. I haven't quite finish some of the later pieces yet, so we'll see how it turns out. Also, there will be a decent amount of time skip between each chapter (in years) but don't worry, this is not a collection of one-shots. All will be under one plot line.

Also, thank you readers for your feedbacks on the previous version; it was, after all my first fanfiction and I suppose no one is perfect one the first try. Some changes are noted and I've went back to make those changes. Hope you like it!

Reviews and constructive criticisms are greatly welcome !

Envo 8/24


	2. Realize

Title- And I you

By- Envo

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

* * *

-

Chapter 2

Realize

-

_The genin ages..._

Her first day as a legitimate Konoha kunoichi had started on that day two years ago where she was nothing more then a love-sick puppy that fell for her own teammate.

But of course, that was then.

Green chakra coated the unmoving fish beneath her long fingers, attempting to revive the creature. Sakura closed her eyes to focus as beads of perspiration slid down her temples.

Her conquest on love had been fruitless, unless you counted acknowledgments such as 'weakling' and 'the girl who is not fit for a shinobi'. Soon enough, she was cast aside even by her team as 'the annoying girl who is useless'.

It was when slowly, one after another, her teammates went away to train with great shinobi did she awoke from her unrealistic dream. As she grew out of her naïve self, her unsure feelings were melted into a strong friendship that she bonded with her boys. And that was her way: to fight for her village and protect her love ones.

Nothing appeared different to the creature lying still on the table. Then slowly and steadily, its eyes turned crystal clear as it flipped and flopped on the table lively before jumping over the edge and landing into a bucket of water by the table.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Sakura swiped away the beads of water on her face.

"Good work, Sakura."

"Thank you, shishou."

"Tomorrow we'll work on some outdoors activities," Tsunade came from behind and patted lightly on Sakura's shoulder, "go home for now and rest well for tomorrow."

"Understood, shishou."

Absentmindedly, Sakura rolled up several scrolls scattered around and placed them neatly on the shelf behind her. She then proceeded to clean up the place before leaving the room with a polite bow to her shishou.

The building she was in was quite high and in all normal circumstances, Sakura would very much prefer a simple teleport jutsu and head straight to bed over walking; however, she did not want her chakra level to drop to the point where she would need more rest than there was to give.

Sighing softly, Sakura walked down the stairs, dazed.

She was not altogether sure rather she had been hallucinating last night, after all, she was completely drained from the chakra activity shishou told her to practice yesterday. But the pair of obsidian eyes looked down at her under the moonlight as she drifted from dream to reality was unmistakably _his_.

The man who she thought had disappeared from her life had come to her last night. For years she spent as a genin, he had vanished from her sight and all excluding a few glances here and there. Why was he showing up again now? Sakura mulled over the question over her head again and again yet still no answer.

Reaching into her pocket, her finger fished around for her keys to the locks on her door. Just as she was about to insert the key, however, a prickle of awareness sent her into alert.

A chakra was pulsing from within her apartment; it so familiar yet she couldn't quite place, and Sakura could feel the trickles of adrenaline seep into her blood and the faint taste of fear in her mouth as her body moved in action.

Quietly, she slipped out a kunai from her back pouch with one hand while the other opened the door slowly.

With the slightest flick of fingers, Sakura flung the weapon into the open gap before swung it wide open. Her brilliant green eyes widened at the sight before her.

The pair of obsidian eyes was the first thing that sent alarm straight down her spine; moments later, the room was illuminated by the milky white light from the moon outside her window. There in the middle of it all stood Uchiha Itachi; with her kunai between his fingers, he looked at her with calculating eyes combined with a fragment of… satisfaction?

"Itachi-san! Please don't scare me like that," Sakura said reproachfully.

His lips curled. "Your aim improved."

"How would you know my aim improved?" Sakura asked warily, "For all I know, you haven't watched me train before. And why are you here anyways?" Sakura added the last part exasperatedly.

"For all you know, that is," Itachi replied cryptically.

_Stalker_ was the word she was looking for, but another thought made her shook her head slightly at what she was thinking. No, Itachi was not the kind of person who would have bothered to do such a trifle thing. Just what was she thinking?

"Is that why I have the feeling of being watched?" Her voice was suspicious as she regarded the man with a raising brow.

But his answer was nowhere near satisfactory. No, the only thing she got was another mysterious smirk from the raven haired man.

Heaving a sigh, Sakura turned and closed the door with a click before bending down and remove her knee-high ninja boots. "You still haven't answered my second question, Itachi-san."

It was silent as Sakura finished undoing her boots and lining them up neatly against the wall along with other pair of shoes.

Her brows couldn't have raised any high as she straightened and glared at the man with frustration. The man was impossible; he had not changed a bit since the last time they have talked. Even if Sakura known him to be a man of few words, it still didn't help prevent it from getting on her nerves now that she was low on both chakra _and_ sleep.

Itachi said nothing as he softly placed the lone kunai that was in her hands moments ago on the coffee table before him.

A line of red marred the pale skin from his right shoulder to the edge of the white armguard. Sakura's eyes narrowed, is that _blood_? Cursing silently at her own stupidity for not noticing sooner, Sakura made her way to Itachi's side and inspected the slash with careful hands.

"Where did you get this?"

"Mission."

Hands still probing, Sakura asked absentmindedly, "This is why you are here?"

Itachi nodded, still looking down at her with those piercing eyes of his. Deciding it's far too dangerous to stare into the eyes of the Uchiha before her and refused to be distracted by him, Sakura gazed back to the wound.

"It's a clean slash down, presumably from a kunai. From the looks of it, there's no toxin, and it appears not infected yet," Sakura muttered, attention drawn into the wound under her probing fingers, then her eyes were searching his, "This need to be treated it now. The hospital is close; you wouldn't lose much blood if you head there now, Itachi-san."

Sakura then proceeded to push him towards the door, mindful of his injuries. Though much to her chagrin, the man appeared to be unmovable unless he wanted to and no outside force would change that. Throughout the ordeal, Itachi merely looked at her with that same look as if nothing mattered. And that did little to help ease the nervousness coiled deep in her stomach.

Her shoulders were tense and her tone was severe, "Itachi-san. This isn't something to be joke around with. You will bleed to death if you don't head to the hospital now."

"You are trained by the sannin Tsunade." Itachi stated. If anything, he was calm as if it was nothing but a small cut.

"Yes, I am training under Tsunade-shishou. That doesn't mean I know everything she does. I just recently started to learn." Her voice was tight as she watched more blood seeped out from the wound.

"That I am aware. I am also aware that your lesson last week was that of healing exterior wounds?"

Sakura's eyes were widened in surprise. "How would you know about that?" She then shook her head slightly at how easily she was sidetracked, "Either way, it doesn't matter. Yes it's true that was what shishou taught me last week, but that was a small cut! I can't heal something this big—"

"Try."

The word alone stopped Sakura's near hysteria rants and sent the pair into a field of silence. Sakura looked at Itachi as if he had just sprouted wings.

"I take my future occupation quite seriously, if you are aware, Itachi-san. I do not jeopardize my patient's health with my inexperience and lack of knowledge, if you understand."

"I'm relieved." He then pointed to the small sofa chair at the living room, "I trust that you do not want to… endanger your patient's health?"

Sakura gaped at the man incredulously. Surely he did not just forced her to heal his wounds when he knew she didn't know much just yet?

"You are insane for asking me this, Itachi-san. I have no guarantees that I can completely heal you," Sakura muttered under her breath as she led the man toward to sofa and sat down.

"Sit here and don't move, take off your armguard and your glove, I can't have any barriers in between as I heal." Sakura gestured at the couch before making her way to the kitchen.

That's where Sakura found him when she was back with a wet towel in hand. Sitting down beside the Uchiha, Sakura proceeded to wipe away the blood.

And so the long process of healing began. Green chakra unfolded from her palms as Sakura placed her hands atop of his wound and began to knit together the torn tissues. Only the eerie green light illuminated the room aside from the vanishing milky rays of the moon, covered by the overcast sky above. Not once did her healing chakra falter, nor did her attention waver on the task before her.

Unknowing to her, a pair of crimson eyes traced the beads that slid down from her temples, at the pair of hands that worked miracle on his side, then lastly into the eyes of emerald before flickered out of existence, leaving onyx in its wake.

After an hour of healing painstakingly, Sakura managed to close off the wound without so much as a scar. Looking at the flawless skin below her palms, Sakura allowed her chakra to recede before inspecting the muscles where the wound once was with her hands.

"You give yourself too little credit," Itachi said quietly.

"I must have channeled my chakra wrong. Normally it shouldn't have take this long to heal a normal external wound," Sakura then noticed her shaking hands, "and now my chakra reserve just hit rock bottom. Great, and I have a lot to do tomorrow with shishou…"

Sakura trialed off as she attempted to stand, "I'm going to sleep, you know where the door is—" A sudden wave of vertigo rushed to her pounding head, causing her to fell forward with an alarmed yelp.

But before she could hit the hard wooden floor, an arm reached out and snaked around Sakura's waist, prevented the fall. He sighed.

The scent of forest and rain immediately filled her nostrils when Itachi suddenly closed the gap between them and lifted her up in his arms. "What are you doing?" Her voice slurred by weariness and was muffled by the closeness of their bodies, her head cushioned by his shoulders as Sakura struggled to not blush under his intense stare.

"Where is your room?"

"I… down the hall, second to the right."

The warmth radiated from Itachi was almost irresistible as she lay tiredly in his arms. The lids of her eyes were droopy and it was by sheer will that she managed to keep herself half awake and not give in to the comfort of sleep.

The soft paddling of Itachi's footsteps were not helping as they slowly lulled her deeper into the realm of unconsciousness. A door opened somewhere, and then the warmth surrounding her was withdrawing as she was laid down on the softness of her bed.

Suddenly remembering the question she had in mind when she was walking home, Sakura shook her head and blinked away the blur gathered in her vision as sleep attempted to take over.

"I never see you anymore since I went to the academy, why are you here now? What purpose does it serve you?" She blurted out her question amidst of desperation and confusion, afraid of losing the chance to ask the question that had been on her mind since last night.

"You were… distracted by other aspects in life to notice my presence," he then chuckled softly, "you never knew how to take care of yourself."

Even with the fog of sleep creeping closer, Sakura couldn't help but smiled softly at Itachi's comment. "Are you saying I need… _someone_ to take care of me?"

"Aa."

"You are impossible," Sakura whispered softly. The battle with the desire to submit to unconscious had lost, and slowly, darkness crept in and filled her vision.

Itachi's words from far away spoke of finality were the last thing she heard before she succumbed to the call of sleep.

"I take care of what is mine, Sakura. And make no mistakes; you are mine, ever since the day we met."

* * *

A/N: This one did not come out the way I'd like it to be, sadly. I know the ending is very cliche, but I just couldn't find another way other than this to call it an ending. A failure on my part, but I tried. As previously said, this story is a handful of one-shots I've linked together that work under one plot, in case someone is confused. Although, if you want to see it as individual pieces, I suppose that works too.

It was very heartwarming to receive reviews on this piece, I must say I was very excited and surprised that I would get one at all. So I hereby thank all of my reviewers for reviewing, you guys are great and it drives me to write more!

For my dear readers, I hope you guys like this so far. I can't wait to hear some feedbacks from you guys! Remember, reviews and constructive criticisms are greatly welcome and appreciated.

Envo 08/25


	3. Catalyst

Title- And I you

By- Envo

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

* * *

-

Chapter 3

Catalyst

-

_The chunin phases..._

"Sakura, where is my brother?" The man in front of her stood casually with his hands shoved in pockets while glaring at her from the corner of his onyx eyes.

Sakura gave him the sweetest of smiles reserved only for her utmost troubling patients. It alone could have sent her fellow ninjas scurry away from the beaming Hokage's apprentice and in this case, it promised _something_ if that _someone _don't know when to be quiet. Then again, this wasn't just anyone…

"And why would I know where your brother is, Sasuke-_chan_? You _are_ his brother, right?"

The pair of onyx eyes narrowed as Sasuke turned to face his pink haired teammate, scowling. "Because somehow, I usually find him within the radius of three feet from you."

"Is that so?" This had better not be about_ that_.

"If not, then what were you doing at the entrance of the Uchiha compound with my brother?"

"What is this, Sasuke? Are you interrogating me?" Her voice dangerously sweet, the underlying threat hung in the air heavily.

Sasuke was unmoved, however; he merely glared harder at his pink haired teammate. "Are you avoiding the question, Sakura?"

"Errands on Tsunade-shishou's order," Sakura sighed exasperatedly and after replying with a tone that sounded very much like 'that-was-the-stupidest-question-I've-ever-heard', though inwardly she was gritting her teeth in annoyance. For his health's sake, if he even so much as to mention _that_, she wouldn't guarantee to _not_ beat the daylights out of him.

For two months, her teammates made the point to follow her around throughout the day, be it day or night; it was becoming so... aggravating.

To think that if they managed to catch her and his brother alone, the results would be beyond disastrous. Sakura shuddered at that thought; oh she could just feel the overdue headache coming…

"What about yesterday when I saw you and my brother _together_ in that dango shop?" Sasuke pressed.

"That…" Sakura clamped her mouth shut before more was spilled. Her hesitation however, did not seemed escape Sasuke's eyes as he lifted his brows and shot a questioning glance at the slightly panicking Sakura.

"Well?"

"If that is the case, then how is it I don't see him anywhere around here?" Sakura waved her hand around the air, gesturing at the empty clearing they were training in.

When Sakura met Sasuke's eyes moments later however, she had to struggle to not squirm under his piercing gaze. "What?"

"You are blushing, Sakura-chan," a cherry voice supplied. Its owner stopped close at the two people having a glaring contest; ocean blue eyes shifted to the faint red hue crept slowly onto his pink haired teammate's pale face and he _snickered_. That did it.

Spinning sharply with pink strands of hair tossed in the air, Sakura's fists came crashing down upon the head of the most obnoxious blond in Konoha, sending the said blond sinking six inches down into the soil-covered ground.

"Damn it, Naruto!" Sakura glared down hard at the cowering figure, watching him clutch at the slowly forming lump on the top of his head.

"B-but Sakura-chan…!"

"I am _not_ blushing!" Sakura roared, and Naruto blanched. Murdering one's teammate was greatly frowned upon in the shinobi society, but the thought was getting more and more tempting each passing moment she spent with her team.

"Dobe, shut up. Sakura, answer the question."

"And what might that be?" Just those words alone caused different reactions from the members of Team Seven. Sasuke paled, Naruto gaped and Sakura stiffened at the smooth, deep tone from behind her.

"Aniki…"

"Otouto, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san," the Uchiha prodigy acknowledged with a nod.

"Why are you here, Aniki?" asked a suspicious Sasuke while glancing at his pink haired teammate with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I thought you were looking for me, Sasuke?"

"Aa," Sasuke avoided the searching eyes of the elder Uchiha and answered, "father wants to tell you that there is a clan meeting this evening at six that you'll have to attend."

With a nod, Itachi's attention shifted towards the only female in the group.

"Sakura-san, when are you free for our…meeting?" Itachi's gentle whisper did not escape the ears of Team Seven; nor did the quick flicker of emotion in his eyes, for that matter of fact.

Despite the warning shone brightly in her eyes, the clan heir in front of her appeared to not heed it at all. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at her glare. Why, oh _why_ must he chose to mess with her teammates this time who, if she might add, were on the urge of biting her head off this very moment.

Between her teammates and the ANBU captain, she would rather be drowned by her boy's overwhelming, overprotective protests instead of facing an unpredictable Itachi.

With their ears perked, the suspicion in her male teammates' eyes grew as each minute passed during their female teammate and the ANBU captain.

Knowing there was no way she could word her answer without making the conversation sounding terribly wrong, Sakura sighed heavily and gave in. "My office, eleven sharp."

Gasps rang in her ear but she could care less. All she wanted to do now was to disappear from the place and retreat to her home, her sanctuary. The drilling headache triggered from the conversation earlier was getting to her, and it was all she could do to not deck her moron teammates from being such a king size pain.

Itachi nodded with satisfaction in both Sakura's direct yet annoyed answer –which he ignored completely without so much as a frown– and successfully got her teammates all worked up –whose tension were already coiled tightly since the elder Uchiha's appearance.

"What is the meaning of this, Aniki?"

"What did you do to Sakura-chan!"

It seemed the older of the two brothers from the infamous clan suffered from selective hearing also; he remained silent as her teammates tossed question after question at him, one more aggressive than another.

Training his eyes upon Sakura once again, Itachi spoke over the two now yelling males before vanishing in a puff of white smoke. "You are wanted in the Hokage's office immediately, Sakura-san."

Two pair of eyes full of menace turned toward their petite female teammate after the disappearance of the ANBU captain, demanding answers only their female teammate could give.

"What did you do?!"

* * *

The clicking sound of a pair of heels dragged across the floor and down the hallway of which resounded on the spotless white walls of the hospital in the middle of the night rang loudly in Sakura's ears.

Latching onto the doorknob at the end of the hall blindly, Sakura stumbled into the room and kicked the door shut, mindless of the patients on the floor.

"You are late."

"Give me a break," Sakura muttered as she went around the man sitting in the chair in front of her desk.

"Thirty-six seconds could have been crucial for a man's life. As a medic, I'm fairly sure you are aware of that." Though said nonchalantly, the steel underneath the velvet soft voice made Sakura looked up at the other occupant in her office. Though when her eyes met his, there was only amusement written in the deep pools of obsidian.

"You needn't chastise me about saving lives; _you_ can thank yourself for that, Itachi," Sakura bristled as she dropped her bag roughly into one of the many drawls in her desk and sat down in her arm chair with a huff. In the haze of annoyance, she had accidentally left off the suffix after muttering his name. Sakura sighed, the damage was dealt and there was no use in changing it now.

"And what might that be?" His voice was dangerously soft.

"For confronting my teammates like that this afternoon, that's what. Now they are all getting the wrong impression of what's between us! I was lucky to make it to the hospital. They should be howling for our blood by now –don't give me that look!"

The man in front of her had the audacity to smirk at her worried comment. "You are afraid of your teammates finding out about our… meeting?" Eyes glinted with intentions Sakura did not want to know, Sakura suddenly realized the breach of personal space as Itachi stood and leaned against the desk separating them; the pressure was increasing as he towered over her easily while eyes bored into hers and held her in place.

Sakura looked away warily. Scorched by the intensity of his gaze, Sakura shuddered inwardly at just how much the man could do if he could send shivers down her spine with his eyes alone.

"It wouldn't have mattered so much if it wasn't kept as a secret on Tsunade-shishou's order," Sakura muttered in attempted to cover her discomfort, but her voice had came out as a soft pleading instead.

Feeling the pressure of their close proximity, Sakura promptly stood and went to the filing cabinet on the other side of the room to escape from him and his mesmerizing, distracting eyes.

Shuffling thought folders and papers, Sakura lifted the file she had been looking for and asked absentmindedly, "How are your eyes today?"

A light chuckle filled the room, and it was not hers. "You are the medic, _Sakura_."

Sakura would have rolled her eyes if she wasn't distracted by her reaction to him. She shouldn't have felt the heat curled up deep in her abdomen when he said her name, or the tingling on her back, or the heat threaten to break out of her already slightly flushed cheeks for that matter; but she did.

Eyes widened, Sakura's pulse began to race franticly. What was happening to her, why was she feeling this way to _him_, nonetheless? Head shook and hands braced on the cabinet, Sakura threw the question to the back of her head. She would deal with this later, but not now, not when he's here. _Must remain professional!_

Walking swiftly away from the slightly deformed cabinet that she gripped on while thinking, Sakura made her way to the now stoic Uchiha with a clipboard in hand.

"Close your eyes and relax while I check your eyes." Sakura ordered as her fingertips touched Itachi's temples lightly.

Green chakra flared and Sakura closed her eyes in concentration. The humming of the chakra was the only disturbance in the room and it slowly lulled her into a trance.

_The sky was barely lit yet the shinobi society was already fully awake. Sakura had just finished her morning practice before a runner came along with an order that had her sprinted her way back to her shishou's office. _

"_Sakura, you are here."_

"_Yes, shishou."_

"_I need to swear secrecy upon the information I am about to disclose to you."_

_Though confused, Sakura nodded nonetheless at her teacher's demands. Whatever shishou was going to tell her, it must have been important._

"_As you probably noticed, there are increasing numbers of people from the Uchiha clan came in with severe eye problems," Tsunade started, "I've talked with the Head of the clan, and we've both agreed that the Sharingan wielders would eventually damage their eyes from the chakra burning, which could lead to a damage ranging from mild discomfort to severe blindness."_

_Sakura nodded at the given information, though inwardly wondered why her presence was needed in this case._

"_Even though Fugaku admitted this drawback, he would not allow any medic least of my skills and experience to treat those who suffers." At this, the Hokage furrowed her brows in disapprove and frustration. "And while considering the people who qualify the… requirements, only you, Shizune and I are capable for this procedure."_

"_I understand, shishou."_

_Tsunade nodded. "The times for the check-ups will be arranged, I will inform you when it is posted."_

_Sakura nodded._

"_Very good. I'll trust that you do not speak of this to anyone."_

"_Understood."_

Sakura opened her eyes slowly as the humming faded into nothingness. Still slightly disoriented from the flash of memory from months ago, Sakura did not notice as she stared into two deep pools of onyx. Though when she did, her reaction had made the man's lips curled in amusement as Sakura quickly backpedaled and quickly turned away. Suddenly very interested in the chart before her, she quickly scribble down his conditions on the clipboard with the red she had failed to cover tainting her cheeks.

"How is the condition?"

"It's better. I've fixed all that I could during these two months. The only thing that you need to do now is to not overuse your sharingan and take necessary breaks. Make sure you rest well so your eyes can recover," Sakura's voice was slightly muffled as she continued scribbling down details on the clipboard, "This will be the last secession, so you don't need to come back anymore."

"You think to escape me," Itachi's breath brushed the back of her neck and Sakura jumped.

Shocked, she spun around and their eyes clashed. Emerald and obsidian. The heat and the intensity of his gaze were like an arrow that pierced through her mind and soul; it was all she could do to not collapse under the weight to those pair of eyes.

As fast as those eyes made her blood boiled with reason unknown to her, it cooled back down when a knock broke her out of Itachi's mesmerizing gaze.

Thankful for the timing of the person, Sakura stumbled backwards as she recovered from the shock.

"Come in."

A petite blonde ducked into the office before froze in shock at the sight of the Uchiha heir and a flustered pink haired medic in the same room _and_ at such close proximity. "I-I apologize, Sakura-senpai for interrupting…"

Quickly stepped away from the clan heir looming over her, Sakura waved a hand in the air to soothe the nervous girl who was no doubt a new member to their medical team. "No, you are not interrupting. I was just about to show Uchiha-san," Sakura said casually and glanced at Itachi meaningfully, "the way out."

Returning the glance, Itachi ignored the poor gaping girl completely and dipped his head low and blew the words softly into Sakura's ear. "We are not done."

With the kind of grace only he could manage, Itachi walked out of Sakura's office quietly, leaving two gaping, round-eyed women in the office. One with surprise and one with disbelieve.

"_Another reason why I wanted you in was because someone had personally requested to be attended by you," Tsunade said gravely._

"_Me? Who would have made a specific request like that?"_

"_Uchiha Itachi."_

_At that moment, Sakura could only stare blankly at her shishou, feeling as lost as a little child. Why?_

"_You seemed to catch his attention in some way or form," at this, Tsunade sighed, "as much as I want to say congratulations for securing a man such as he, don't forget he's an Uchiha nevertheless, so watch your back, Sakura. Don't take those Uchiha too lightly."_

"_Shishou, did he tell you… why?" Sakura asked weakly, far too distressed to pay attention to the blonde Hokage before her._

_Tsunade turned away from her apprentice and faced the view of the village. It was long before she answered Sakura's question. _

"_The only thing he said before he left was he would not allow any other tend to him other than you."_

* * *

A/N: Phew, this one troubled me a lot while I was building up the plot, I was forced to re-write the entire chapter for three times and I am still not satisfied in some parts. Talking about staying up until four writing...

Also, sorry for the inconsistency on the point of views of each chapter. The first chapter was written months ago in Itachi's p.o.v.; however the rest will be in Sakura's p.o.v.

Oh yes, I've added the first sentence in italic to every chapter now just in case some like to have an actually visible time line between each shot.

I tried very hard to make the changes in Sakura as subtle as possible though not very successful. It is, after all, with years of time skip so things tend to move rather fast judging from just these few chapters.

I know some may wonder why Sasuke doesn't know about the whole eye-healing thing with Itachi being his brother and himself being an Uchiha, I can only say that Sasuke has yet to experience the eye problem, so he doesn't need to know about it.

The entire outline is mapped out and good to go, and after a few edits, the last shot will be complete. Yes, that means this one is the second to last, but I'm not certain rather _And I you _will end with four chapters or five. Why? because I haven't decided yet rather I should do a epilogue or not. We'll see how far my muse can go, but until then... stay tuned.

Now that I'm done babbling, here's the big 'Thank you' for my gracious reviewers. I'd have to say I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day after opening up my mail box to see dozens of reviews for this story. I'm glad you guys like this story and I'm grateful for the wonderful feedbacks! And for my dear readers, I hope you enjoy and continue supporting this story!

Reviews and constructive criticisms are greatly welcome and appreciated!

Envo 9/01


	4. Hanami

Title- And I you

By- Envo

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

* * *

-

Chapter 4

Hanami

-

_The jounin stages..._

Four shadows raced through the lush forest within the borders of the Fire country. Unlike the tensed environment when the squad of four had set foot out of their village, their limbs were slack now as they flew through branches and leaves towards their destination, home.

"You are strangely obedient today." The man beside Sakura stated while untying his ANBU mask.

Sakura snorted as her mask fell. "I didn't want to… complicate things."

"So you admit you complicate things?" Itachi mused softly.

"No. I just want to spare their ears," Sakura nodded towards the two figures slightly ahead of them, "the pain. They don't need our argument adding on to their already damaged eardrums."

"And if you hadn't argued with me for the past _months_, their…hearing would not have suffered at all," Itachi stated, "I am, after all, the captain of this squad." _And you should listen to my order_.

"Flash out the leader card all you want, but I'm not going to stay behind and let our enemy cut down my teammates without doing _something_." Sakura glared hard into the onyx eyes of Uchiha Itachi.

"Medics are supposed to stay behind the scene at all times, it is common knowledge."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "And if I hadn't followed you all the way on our last mission, tell me, _captain_, what would have happen then?"

"Nothing. As I would have finished off our target silently if not for your rather _obvious_ attack."

"Allow me to recall our last mission for you, as you seemed to be missing one fine point. There were at least thirty of them in that clearing. Do pray tell just how were you supposed to finish off our target _silently_ when you were alone?"

Itachi had wanted to rebuke, but Sakura was not done. "And need I remind you the injuries you received on that mission?"

"If you want to test _my_ capacity as your captain, you merely need to ask," Itachi's voice was quiet, yet the underlying tone screamed dangerous, "I would have gladly demonstrated for you. A simple genjutsu would have settled the matter easily."

"That's not what I mean," Sakura's brows furrowed as she looked at the man beside her.

"I'm fairly capable of taking thirty men down without a scratch."

Sakura snorted with disbelieve. "You are missing my point."

"The other way around."

Sakura knew she had lost. Conversation with the Uchiha always proved to be difficult, as he could always somehow turn the tides to his favor.

"As you had demonstrated today, our mission proceeded rather smoothly when you stay put, don't you think?" Itachi smirked, eyes danced triumphantly.

Sakura gritted her teeth together hard, but said nothing. All she wanted to do now was to send the Uchiha a nice chakra enhanced punch for discriminating her as a medic and underestimating _her_ capacity as a kunoichi. To hell with her captain, she could not stand the man one bit, and just why was she dragged along on _every_ mission with his team when she wasn't even an ANBU?

The soft thuds on the wood branches as the pair leaped from one to another were the only sound that accompanied them through the period of silence. It was soothing, and Sakura was lulled slowly into her thoughts by the repeating tempo of their steps. It wasn't until the voice of her captain rang in her ear was she jolted back to the present.

"You did well today. Our mission ran smoothly and we were able to complete it in record time."

Approval was not the word Sakura had imagined coming out of the Uchiha. A compliment from _the_ Uchiha Itachi was not easily earned and Sakura couldn't help but did a double-take at the man beside her with her eyes wide.

"It would be… nice if our next mission proceed the same way as this one." Itachi added, with a corner of his lips lifted slightly, knowing what the words would do to the medic beside him.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Of course, leave it to the Uchiha to blow the mood away.

"I guarantee nothing."

* * *

Blocks after blocks of documents were stacked neatly on her desk as Sakura looked up to check the time. She already passed the point of exhaustion; counting just the few hours from the start of her shift, the numerous surgeries she no longer kept track of since the first week of work and the endless string of paper work had kept her on her toes straight through her shift and left no breaks in between.

Slim fingers drummed on the desk impatiently, Sakura's glance flew to the clock once again for the time that crept forward with the speed of a snail. Just another half an hour to go.

The briefing went by in a haze as Sakura walked out of the Konoha hospital absentmindedly. She could almost taste the moist in the morning air while she took in a deep breath. The sensation of the chilling air traveling into her body made her shivered slightly and chase away the sleepiness if only temporally.

The sun reached out tentatively toward the village with its soft rays and the morning dew on the bushes nearby shined and glittered brilliantly.

The little pieces of pink swirled playfully on the street managed to catch her eyes; with her eyes wide, Sakura looked to the side of the street where the trees stood that she had failed to pay attention to and found it covered with pink petals.

A small smile found its way onto her weary face and Sakura couldn't help but feel delighted at her discovery. The sakura trees had blossomed on this day, the day she was born, the twenty-eighth of March.

Sakura carried the feeling with her as she walked through the streets of Konoha decorated by bits of pink petals. While her eyes drunk in the swirls of pink greedily, her feet had brought her short to the doorsteps of her home.

It was the sheer amount of sleepy happiness veiled over her mind that Sakura almost did not notice the rectangular package in front of her door. Sakura picked up the box with slight curiosity and unlocked the door.

Kicking her shoes off, Sakura stumbled across her small, tidy flat and into the kitchen. While she gulped down the glass of cold water, she eyed the package lay innocently on the table across her and curiosity rose. A short debate started in her mind: sleep, or package first. Eventually her curiosity won over and Sakura staggered toward the table.

A hastily folded note was the first thing Sakura saw when she opened the small box. Unfolding the note and through the messy handwriting, Sakura noted this message was addressed to her:

_Sakura  
As you probably noticed on your way home, the sakura trees blossomed. You know what that means – Hanami(1). Since it's your birthday also, I figured it would be most fitting to give you this.  
Wear it, because everyone is going to gather together tonight for the Yozakura_(2)_, and that includes you! This evening at six, meet me at the bridge where your team always meets. Don't be late!_

_Ino_

Raising an eyebrow at Ino's words, Sakura could only shake her head exasperatedly. Of course, Sakura thought, who would have dragged her out other than Ino?

Sakura looked at the time; it was eight thirty right now. Ino must have dropped it off just before her shift began. Ever since Ino had taken up the role of part medic, the times they meet together were limited to evenings only; not that it ever stopped the blonde in any way, however.

Glancing at the untouched bundle of cloth underneath, Sakura shuddered as she recalled one evening when Ino had visited her.

"_We are going to get you a man, Sakura. You are single for far too long it is ridiculous!"_

Suddenly the impulse to open the rest of the package died down and Sakura's outstretched hand froze in midair. It wasn't moments later before she moved her hands hesitantly toward the bundle of cloth after realizing there would be no use in guessing what Ino would gave her.

As the piece of string came off and the wrapping cloth dropped to the floor, Sakura couldn't help but let out the breath she didn't not realized holding.

Ino had given her a red yukata. Varies colors of flower petals decorated across the velvet soft surface, turning the once simplistic cloth into a delicate piece of art. The collar part however, was pearly white and cleared of any other pigments. Lastly, a simple golden obi with swirling lines of white completed the final touch.

After admiring her newly acquired clothing, Sakura carefully folded the piece and marched into her room. There, she placed it on the very top of her clothe in her closet and shut the door closed.

It seemed that she would be humoring her best friend tonight, Sakura thought to herself before collapsing into the comfort of her bed while the sun continued its journey through the cloudless sky.

* * *

Chimes stirred with each step Sakura took as the simplistic kanzashi(3) holding up her long strands of pink hair sparked and glistened under the soft glow of the moon. So much for not being late, Sakura thought warily as her eyes darted this way and that through her sideway bangs in search of her friend's shadow.

One step after another, Sakura strolled along the small path under the tunnel made of sakura trees, draped along with exquisite paper lanterns that were prepared by the village for the breathtaking show of the night. The sun had disappeared under the horizon, leaving tiny specks of light dotted across the night sky.

Six o'clock came and went, and Sakura couldn't deny the increasing crave for someone to stroll in the night with as cuddling couples passed by her unseeingly, absorbed completely by their companion, filling the path with their glowing affection. Only the soft breeze passing by showed sympathy and gave a slightly depressed Sakura a cold, ghostly embrace.

A familiar face became clearer as Sakura made her way through couples and families, and a bright smile brought on her face. A real one.

"Is that you, Sakura?" Shisui regarded the pink haired kunoichi in front of him from head to toe then back and beamed, "I thought I saw _Konohana-hime_(4) walking towards me on the path of sakura petals. I must be a lucky man."

Sakura smacked the teasing man on the arm halfheartedly. "The grandson of _Amaterasu_(5) would have _disappear_ you before that happens."

Shisui rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Yes, he's quite the jealous type. But in that case, we would need to find him first."

"Find him?"

The grin Shisui just displayed made Sakura's heart sank. Just what game is this man playing?

"You see, if you are _Konohana-hime_, then who is _Ninigi no Mikoto_(6)?"

Far off in her mind, Sakura heard the trap snapped shut. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at the still grinning Shisui suspiciously. "Where are you getting at?"

To her utter displeasure, Shisui merely smirked without reply, clearly all too happy for her taste that he had caught her in one of those silly word games. What was with the Uchiha and their games? Deliberately wanting to distract the man from further embarrassing herself, Sakura proceeded to deter the now smiling broadly Shisui away from the touchy subject by asking the question that had been beating at her for the past hour or so.

"Have you seen Ino?"

"Ino?" Shisui lifted his brows in question.

"My friend, Ino. Or Naruto, or Sasuke, or any of the Rookie nine, have you seen them?"

Shisui shook his head. Negative.

Sakura frowned. She must have been walking aimlessly for at least an hour and yet not signs of her friends at all? Not even the obnoxious Naruto that bound to cause a ruckus wherever he went?

"Speaking of finding people, do you know where Itachi is?"

"Itachi? Why would I know where he is?"

Shisui smirked and wiggled his brows suggestively, "He's bound to be around here somewhere, especially when you are. Besides, you are after all, his wife, _Konohana-hime_."

He ducked easily under Sakura's swing fists and burst out laughing while Sakura stood and fumed at Shisui's antics.

"Itachi does not follow me around nor is it the other way around. And that joke was taken too far, _senpai_," Sakura bit out the last word as heat worked its way up to her face with an alarming force. Damn, why was she blushing now?

With a hand hover over his heart, Shisui faked a hurt look. "You say his name so easily yet you refused to call me by name despite all these years we've known each other. I'm hurt."

"That's different. While you happened to drop by the hospital all too often for your own good, Itachi is… he is…"

"Special?"

Sakura stared blankly at the man before her for a whole second before completely comprehending what had just sprouted from Shisui's lips.

"He is _not_!" Sakura bristled, though her words were said much too quick to simply wave it off.

Shisui was no help at all as he stood there and smirked smugly at the terror on Sakura's face. Her fists cracked. Oh how she wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face this moment.

"Uchiha Shisui, you are lucky we're in a crowd right now. But the next time I see you, I'll send you a free trip to Suna!"

He merely chuckled and waved his hand casually in the air to calm down the seething kunoichi. "It's time to see reality, Sakura."

Maybe it was the look on her face, or was it the death glare she sent Shisui that promised extreme pain and agony, either way, the next time Sakura had blinked, she found him scurrying away with a haste retreat, muttering something along the lines of looking for a certain Uchiha.

Only when she was truly alone with Shisui out of her sight did she dare to sigh heavily. Uchiha always confused her, no matter which of them she was dealing with, and what was with that last remark he gave her before he left?

"Sakura, is that you?"

Drew out of her thoughts, she found herself looking into a kind face that she was all too familiar with.

"Mother?"

"Good gracious, Sakura, you've finally have some tastes in clothe. I must say it fits you perfectly. But Sakura, what are you doing here alone?"

"Ino gave this to me as a present," Sakura said waving at the yukata she clad in absentmindedly, "and you know me, mother, I don't come to events like these alone. I'm looking for my friends right now."

"Well, it wouldn't do for a young lady to stand here alone for too long. You must come to our group; I was just heading back myself. Come, Sakura, you can search for your friends on the way."

"But mother!"

"I insist, Sakura. I also want you to meet a new friend of mine. She is such a wonderful lady! From a prestigious family herself, she…"

Sakura had known her mother to be a woman who would talk on and on without stopping, so she had long since learned to stop listening whenever her mother was at it again. And that was how Sakura found herself in a group of women when her mother had stopped towing her through the gaps between tightly clustered groups of people under the field of sakura trees.

Fixing herself, Sakura plastered a smile over the frown on her face and greeted with a polite bow, "Nara-san, Yamanaka-san, Akimichi-san."

"My, Sakura you've grown since the last time we've met," Nara Yoshino spoke with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Nara-san."

Another woman who Sakura had not been able to recognize yet turned away from the woman who she had been talking with and beamed at Sakura.

Right after Sakura returned the gesture happily and had settled on sitting down on the thin sheet of cloth spread on the ground, her mother turned towards her then faced the woman who had turned her attention towards the mother daughter pair.

"Well, Sakura, this is the friend I was talking about," Sakura's mother gestured towards the lady in a simplistic pale yellow tomesode(7) secured by a golden obi with water patterns across, "have you met Uchiha Mikoto before?"

Sakura nodded timidly and greeted the elder woman, "Mikoto-san, it's good to see you again."

"Sakura, it's been too long," Mikoto exclaimed gently, her eyes sparked with veiled excitement.

"It has." Sakura returned the smile.

"You two met before?" Saukra's mother questioned.

"Of course." It was Mikoto who answered, "Sakura is a former teammate of my youngest son and a current teammate to my first born."

"Sakura, how come you've never told me anything about that?" Her mother asked sharply as she questioned her daughter with a halfhearted glare.

"Because you never asked, mother."

"Make sure you tell me next time then," her mother said with a huff.

"You were never interested in my ninja life, mother. Why are you now?" Sakura asked with a raise of a brow.

"T-That is not true," Sakura's mother stuttered, trying the hide the fact of her disinterest in Sakura's shinobi life while the other women stared at the talking pair with growing interest.

Sakura continued staring at her mother, completely unaware of a figure approaching the group of women silently; that was until Mikoto looked away from the pair of mother and daughter and saw the figure making his way to a distracted Sakura.

"Well, speaking of the devil. Come," Mikoto beckoned at a figure behind her then turned to beam at her mother, "I will introduce you to one of my sons."

At that moment, all there was in Sakura's mind was the encounter with Shisui and his mystic words replaying over and over. _Please don't let it be Itachi._

Soft paddling sound came to a stop beside a rooted Sakura who refused to open her eyes and face whoever that had came joining in the group.

"Haruno-san and everyone, this is my first born son, Itachi."

Well, s_hit._ Luck was never on her side, not even tonight, so it seemed. Mentally preparing herself, Sakura inhaled deeply before exhaling slowly and opened her eyes. True enough, there stood Uchiha Itachi along side of his mother.

Saying she was completely unaffected was a lie. It was apparent even to her that as a clan heir, he had taken time with what he wore, and truthfully, Itachi's appearance made every woman in their group looked up in awe. With a kimono matching the color of his eyes and a striped hakama(8) of black and gray then lastly, a black haori(9) with the Uchiha crest on the back completing his outfit, Itachi made many heads turn as he stood in front of their group in all his glory.

Much to Sakura's bewilderment, her mother had scrambled up from her seat to greet the heir of the clan with such hurry that she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her mother, who usually despised people such as he.

"I'm Haruno Sayuri, Sakura's mother. It's a pleasure meeting you," her mother smiled overly sweet at the Uchiha.

"The pleasure is all mine, Haruno-san," Itachi replied in his smooth, velvet tone and gave the other elder women a polite bow before sliding his gaze towards her.

"You are quite the eye-catcher tonight, Sakura-san," Itachi remarked gently and sat beside a stiffed Sakura.

"And you, Itachi-san," Sakura responded instinctively without thinking and regretted it immediately after the words had left her lips.

"I'm glad you think so." His lips curled and Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit lightheaded as she flashed a quick smile and turned away from the man beside her.

He chuckled before leaning over and blew the words into her ear. "That blush suits you."

Sakura froze, and inwardly, she couldn't help but wonder what she had done to receive such a treatment. Adding on to her horror, _the_ heir of Uchiha clan had just openly display… affection in public and in front of _both_ of their mothers. What was he thinking?

True enough, along the sidelines, Haruno Sayuri watched the entire exchange like a hawk eying its prey while Mikoto's smile only widened as time went on, as well other women's reactions. Oh, she could just imagine the rumor flying across the village the next day…

With her blood surged hotly and the heat on her face slowly breaking through her calm facade, Sakura made a move to stand only to be held down by her questioning mother.

"What are you doing, Sakura?"

"I need to look for my friends before they start worrying, mother."

"Your friends can wait, Sakura. I still haven't heard any of those stories about your _wonderful_ teammate." Sakura twisted her hand that was held by her mother, but the hand clasped on top of hers did not loosen its grasp, nor was she given a chance to speak as her mother continued, "I am your mother, Sakura. I am _quite_ worried about your status as a single woman for some times now. You are twenty already and at the prime of your life, no less..."

Sakura looked at her mother, horrified. First Shisui, now her mother, too? What happened to her boring, non-changing but normal day?

"Escaping so soon?" Itachi whispered, again.

And at the moment the urge to spring up and ran as far away from her overly concerned mother and the overbearing man sitting beside her overruled even the common courtesy.

"Mother, not now. Please." Unlike her normal polite, cheerful tone, Sakura's voice was of warning and impatience.

Unable to hold on to her daughter's hand and attention, Haruno Sayuri sighed.

"I know where they are. Your friends, that is," Itachi suddenly said softly.

Sakura looked up in surprise. "You do?"

"Yes."

"Where are they?"

"I can…escort you there."

Sakura bristled. "There's no need. I'll find them on my—"

"Thank you for your kind offer, Itachi-kun. Please take care of my daughter. She's quite a stubborn thing, but she is very fragile."

Sakura turned to her mother, but her remark was stuck in her throat when she saw the glint in her mother's eyes. She did not even want to guess what her mother was thinking at the moment…

"Mother, please don't talk about me like I am not here. I'm quite capable of finding my friends myse—" Sakura directed her words exasperatedly to her mother but wasn't able to finish before another voice interrupted. _Again._

"Yes. And Itachi, don't forget to be a gentleman and accompany Sakura to her home before depart," Mikoto instructed carefully.

"Of course. How could I forget?" Itachi said politely and glanced at Sakura with an emotion she could not name swirling in his eyes, making the pink haired woman squirm uneasily under his gaze with the blush that receded not too long ago resurface again.

"So it's settled. You two have fun and enjoy the festival tonight. Don't stay up too late." the Haruno matriarch remarked easily before waving the now standing pair away and turned towards Mikoto to engaged in another heated discussion of flowers with the other women.

Sakura gave her mother a long look of disbelieve before turning towards the man beside her only to be trapped in twin pools of obsidian.

"Shall we?"

Though she could not see it, Sakura could just as equally feel numerous pair of eyes drilling holes on her back as she took a tentative step then another, leading the two of them away from the group of women eying each and every movement they took, then with a turn, they were out of the visible range of her mother and the Uchiha matriarch.

Itachi's steps mirrored her own as they took the path away from the crowds and onto a more shaded and less crowded dirt road where the sakura trees stood on one side while the small stream ran quietly on the other.

"Itachi-san, Shisui-san told me he was looking for you. It would be best if you do not keep him waiting," Sakura said quietly, breaking the silence between them.

"I thought we agreed on dropping the suffixes, _Sakura_."

"Did we, Itachi-_san_?" Sakura challenged.

"Of course."

"I do not recall, Itachi-sa—" Sakura did not get the chance to finish her sentence before a long, index finger was placed gently on her lips, effetely stopping her in mid-speech. Sakura fazed upon the contact before turning away, embarrassed. Beside, Itachi watched the scene silently with amusement tinkled in his eyes.

"I presumed you want to meet up with your group of friends?"

"Not anymore. I don't," Sakura huffed.

Seeing the puzzlement in Itachi's eyes, Sakura sighed exasperatedly. "You may not care for your reputation, but I do. With you insisting on… _escorting_ me, could you imagine the rumor that will sprout from my friends or the villagers if they see us walking _together_? And let's not forget Sasuke, you little brother."

Itachi chuckled. "You care too much of what others may think."

"As if that can change reality," Sakura sighed.

They were making their way across the little wooden bridge in silence where Sakura's team used to gather in the morning, though right now, it was decorated with small paper lanterns as well for the festival.

Suddenly, she didn't feel alone anymore. Fully aware of Itachi beside her with their sleeves brushed against each other's ever-so-slightly, she felt strangely calm and... content. It was actually quite nice walking side by side and under the moonlight like this.

The silence gave Sakura the opportunity to run through her past, of the game _they_ play, of how each and every response made by the Uchiha walking quietly beside her lead not to an answer but to another puzzling question. It was a game she reveled in playing, their little mind games. But now, she was so tired; she had reached an impasse and truthfully, she had no other options but to give up the fight.

She had been thinking of her situation with the enigmatic man, and though she had placed every possible explanation to the equation, nothing seemed to fit. The fact that their exchange swayed so easily between the line of conversing and flirting alarmed her more than anything else.

"Itachi," Sakura started with a whisper, feeling the pair of obsidian eyes trained on her, she continued with her eyes bored into his wanting nothing but the truth this time, no underlying meanings, nothing, "what are we?"

For a moment, Itachi eyes stared blankly into hers like a veil draped over the twin orbs of obsidian, covering all traces of emotion, then his eyes left hers and slid to the other side of the bank where very few couples walked hand in hand on the dimly lit path of sakura trees.

Seeing his reaction, Sakura felt a slight twist in her abdomen. What was it that she felt? _Rejection?_

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Itachi's silence. "Don't mind what I said. You don't need to answer," she blurted out in attempt to fill the awkward silence, "of course, we are teammates. How could I forget-"

"To appreciate the fleeting beauty of life much like those temporal blossoming sakura, that was what hanami meant. To cherish the things we have, the beauty of life," the pair of onyx eyes caught her emerald ones and held them captive, "I've found such beauty… thirteen years ago."

By then, her eyes were round with surprise and shock and she stilled. Thirteen years, that was how long they've met and known each other; thirteen years, that was how long they've been playing their games. Thirteen years… that was how long she had secretly, _secretly_ gazed upon Uchiha Itachi and admired each and every way he was.

Still in shock, Sakura found herself staring speechlessly at the door to her apartment, dazzled. She could feel his heat from behind reaching out to her, his breath grazing her nape, sending tingles down her spine.

So close.

Then his lips brushed against the shell of her ear and blew hotly into her ear. "And I will not let _you_ go."

Silently, Sakura spun around slowly and searched his face for any trace of trickery or lie only to find his normally impassive face softened and his eyes filled of affection and something more.

Slowly, Itachi backed Sakura until her back hit the smooth surface of her door, then with a hand braced against the wooden door beside her face and the other lifted her chin, he closed the remaining distance between them and sealed their lips. Sakura's eyes widened. His contact was gentle and soft like a feather, coaxing her to relax against his lips. And slowly, as if testing the waters, Sakura responded shyly. Their kiss was surprisingly chaste and light and it ended all too quickly to Sakura's (shocking) disappointment.

They broke apart with the need of air only to have Itachi tracing her jaw line with his lips and down to nuzzle at her pale, exposed neck.

"You are mine, remember that," Itachi said against her flesh, voice muffled. His lips stopped atop of her pulse, feeling the acceleration of her heartbeat, the aftermath of their shared kiss.

And Sakura could do no other than nodded blindly at his words. Face flushed and eyes veiled with their shared intimacy, Sakura saw through the haze and gazed at Itachi, who was slowly straightening up once again.

With his eyes still clouded with passion, Itachi slowly backed away from Sakura and his lips curled into a trademark smirk.

"I will be seeing you very soon, _Sakura_."

Then he was gone.

Sakura touched her trembling fingers to her lips in a daze. Did Itachi just kissed her in front of her apartment?

Lightheaded, Sakura managed to pull out her keys from a hidden pocket in her yukata, but her hand wavered. Giving up, Sakura leaned against the door, supporting her legs that were weak from the sudden kiss she had with Itachi.

"My first kiss…"

Her fingers once again found their way to her lips, still feeling his lips against hers as she stared unseeingly into the night. Butterfly wings fluttered within her abdomen as she recalled his confession to her during their walk and she couldn't stop the dreamy smile slowly making its way onto her lips.

Right then and there, Sakura knew this wouldn't be another Sasuke and she now knew what she felt for Sasuke was nothing compared to what she felt for his brother. Her reactions to him all pointed to the one truth that she did not see.

The time when someone cared for her when she was little other than her mother; the time when he encouraged her to heal him knowing the risk. And now, the kiss. He had been her first... in so many ways...

Then realization hit. For so long he had been hinting, waiting, yet she was just too blinded to see what he had to offer. He had waited for thirteen years; _they_ had waited for thirteen long years. And now, just when she thought loving was an impossibility for her, he had showed her otherwise. He had showed her how much he cared, and now it was up to her.

Tears clouded her vision, she had been so blind.

"I'm sorry for making you wait." The cold breeze of the night carried her trembling whisper into the air. "You don't need to wait anymore, Itachi," Sakura muttered as she raced through the streets and towards the Uchiha district.

* * *

In the shadows, a pair of cerulean eyes stared at the pink figure heading towards the Uchiha district with glee and satisfaction.

"Ino, why are we here again?"

"Shikamaru, you are supposed to be the genius that knows everything. Can't you see that Sakura had finally gotten together with a _guy?"_

"What, do you expect her to be with a girl?"

"Never mind!"

Turning away from her teammate, Ino looked at the last corner her friend had disappeared to with a distant look.

_Sakura, you've grown from the little bud I've known so many years ago and into a beautiful flower; after enduring all these long years alone, you've finally found the one that will truly appreciate your beauty._

* * *

1. Hanami - Flower viewing, namely cherry blossoms. Starts at end of March to the start of May.

2. Yozakura - Flower viewing at night.

3. kanzashi - Hair ornament.

4. Konohana-hime (or Konohanasakuya-hime) - The blossom-princess and symbol of delicate earthly life. Her symbol is the sakura.

5. Amaterasu - Sun goddess in Japan.

6. Ninigi no Mikoto - Husband of Konohana-hime, grandson of Amaterasu.

7. tomesode - Similar to kimono, but worn by married women.

8. hakama - Resembles a wide pants (divided/undivided skirt).

9. haori - Kimono jacket.

-Definition above from: Wikipedia.

* * *

A/N: I have to say, this one took me the most time writing out of all four shots. Amazingly enough, I actually did some research on some Japanese mythology (I apologize beforehand if I misused the meaning in anyway).

I enjoy writing Shisui, very fun playing around with his personality. Yes, I made up Sakura's mother's name because I couldn't find it (don't think it was ever mentioned in either anime or manga). This is also my first time writing a romantic scene (as romantic as I can get), knowing that it's nowhere near the professionals, I can only say that 'it will do for now'.

I'm editing this in the middle of the night at three a.m. so if there is any mistake please tell me!

Looking back, I was horrified by the extreme OCCness Itachi was comparing to the canon personality. But I can justify that. In my point of view, judging only from how emotional he got when the massacre was over, I really believed that if the whole plot was non-massacre, Itachi would not at all be the cold fish he is now. Though I do know that I probably overdid it, my _crazy half's _fault.

After two long weeks of thinking, I've decided that there will be _no_ epilogue for _And I you_. I've been racking my brains for inspiration, and none came. I know there should be one, especially an ending like this, but I just can't write anything that fits. So I'll be leaving the rest to your imagination, have fun!

There _might_ be some side fics for _And I you_ that will be under other names, but this story has officially reach its end. So there will be no more chapters added to this fic.

I hereby thank all of my readers and reviewers for supporting this fic till its end. You guys are wonderful. I have to thank all of you for your great feedbacks, those help me through tough times (like when I'm stuck) and help me improve as a writer. This is probably the first successful ones out of the rest of my pieces, and I have to say I'll miss writing for _And I you_.

I enjoyed this story, and I hope you did too!

Thanks again for the support!

Envo 09/08


	5. Epilogue

Title- And I you

By- Envo

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

* * *

-

Chapter 5

Epilogue

-

Eyes narrowed with frustration, Sakura stared down at the little booklet laid innocently on the counter. Ink printed neatly along the pages with small, colorful pictures decorated along the side. But no matter how pretty the pictures were, it did little to improve Haruno Sakura's mood.

Reflected in the renowned medic's murderous glare were cans and utensils littered all over the place with flour splattered across the normally neat and clean kitchen. With a huff, Sakura swept away strands of loose hair with the back of her hand and continued in attempt to wither the yellow-covered book on the spot. She could not remember making such a mess before in her short, twenty-two years of life- in a kunichi's sense, that was.

Beneath her clenching fists laid the source of her frustration, the 'Easy Dinner in thirty minutes' cookbook. Contrary to her title as an accomplished medic and a proud kunoichi of Konoha, Sakura was no specialist when it came down to kitchen and cooking. Despite her fully equipped kitchen and well-stocked refrigerator, Sakura choose to eat out more often than she would at home; at most, she would only use the stove for boiling water if her choice of food happened to be instant ramen. Why had she even attempted to cook was well beyond her.

Brows furrowed, Sakura dropped the whisk into the bowl of egg yokes with a soft growl, mindless of the addition splatters made on her counter and turned away from the problematic situation. How could something so simple went so terribly wrong? Even Naruto could--

"You are cooking again?" asked the voice coming from behind.

Sakura didn't even flinch at the suddenly appeared newcomer in her small flat. After her initial shock passed almost a year ago, she had long since gave up on repenting the man for scaring her out of her skin in such a way and came to become immune to his silence.

Since then, the frequency of his visits have increased; and if she haven't see him this week, for sure she would find herself graced in his presences in the very next.

"I am _trying_ to cook," Sakura corrected with annoyance.

Just as she thought her day could not be any worse, he just had to state the obvious. "Why do you still try when none of the previous attempts succeeded?"

Truthfully, this was neither her first attempt in making a dish nor was it the first one he saw, but that did little to lessen the damage dealt on her feminine ego.

"Practice makes perfect, Itachi," her casual tone immediately caught his attention. She was lying through her teeth and he knew it. Judging from the unclean mess she made, she could already see the thoughts forming in his head as his eyebrow rose in suspicion.

"Go freshen up, I'll clear the counter." Itachi noted the attire she donned with a flick of his onyx eyes.

Sakura's widen eyes looked down and shockingly found herself still dressed in her nurse attire. She then remembered vaguely that she had been too excited to cook to the extend of forgetting to change. Emerald eyes shifted from the mess on the counter to the pair of glistening obsidian eyes with suspicion. It was true that she needed to freshen up badly, but to trust a man--who just happened to be the Uchiha heir himself-- in a kitchen without any one to supervise?

Sakura took a step back tentatively, as if afraid making the wrong decision. But eventually, the need to relax in the steamy room and under the blissfully hot water cascading down her back won her over and she backpedaled to her room, tossing a warning gaze to the man standing still in her kitchen before shutting the door.

Hastily, Sakura made a beeline towards her closet and grabbed her undergarments blindly out of the drawer before stepping foot into her small cubical of a bathroom. On the wall, her reflection stared back at her.

Despite the years passed by, she had not changed much, much to her blonde friend's chagrin. For a twenty-two year-old, Sakura looked relatively young. Though her hair still hovered above her shoulders and her heart-shaped face remained the same as she was years earlier, her eyes no longer shined brightly as they did when she was a teen. Having been on more S-ranked mission than she cared to count, she had relinquished the excuse to remain as an innocent little girl as she once was long ago.

The faucet squeaked as water came running down; slowly, steam started to fill the room. Having discarded her cloth, Sakura slowly climbed over the shallow walls of her tub and into the shower. With water running down on her, the tenseness of her shoulders was washed away along with the small stream of water down into the drain.

It has been two years since that day when she had suddenly realized her feelings towards the man she saw as a friend. Both of them came a long way these past two years, and much has changed despite the village remaining remotely the same. For one thing, days after her realization, it seemed her unofficial relationship with the Uchiha heir had spread high and low among their fellow ANBU. And to her chagrin, no one had dared to take her into their team, each fearing the wrath from the infamous ANBU captain. And just as she thought her situation could not get any worse than that, Ino had came along and demanded sharply about the 'details' in the name of their friendship.

Things only went downhill with a steep slope after that.

And as fast as rumors traveled, the very next day she encountered a group of angry fan girls camping along the steps of her apartment, emitting something closed to a killing intent aura. Not that she was bothered by them, but it had annoyed her all the same. That, however, was not the end of the chaos, and she cursed who ever had been toying with her fate those months.

The clan had heard about it; and as a clan should be, they decided to remedy the situation—however uncomfortable they made her, that was.

Water splashed away the bubbles on her skin; Sakura slowly stepped out of the tub as she twisted the faucet shut.

The persistency of the clan elders hadn't show until much later as they bombarded her with questions—which strangely resembled an interrogation. Added on to her daily misery, Naruto and Sasuke just had to pester her with questions of their own, making her life even more like hell. From the 'inspectors' of the Uchiha clan to her teammates tailing after her, peace only existed for her in one form—the heir of the Uchiha clan, ironic enough.

After her long day out in the hospital and under the watchful eyes of her followers, she had returned to her apartment completely drained. It was only until the next morning would she find herself fallen asleep leaning against the said heir, or in some cases, in his arms. She cherished those moments, and it was those times alone that had gotten her passed those months of tiring days.

Her mentor, of course, had not been pleased with the method the clan used to handle her apprentice; but what had gotten to her shishou the most was the single sentence the elder gave after completed evaluating her.

'You met the _requirements_ in becoming a wife of an Uchiha, however, you still lack numerous attributes when it comes to uniting with the pride of the clan.'

The word 'outrageous' could not even begin to describe her shishou's reaction when the elder had muttered the words. If not for Itachi's interference, her shishou would have broke another table that day.

Sakura slipped on a set of cloth more comfortable than efficient and wringed her pink tresses dry with her navy blue towel before opening the door, allowing the steam to leak out into her bedroom.

She was sure that if Itachi hadn't spoken out his opposition, that particular elder would have returned home with at least a bruise if not more—be it clan elder or not. Even Sasuke frowned at the words emerged from the elder's lips. Naruto, of course being himself, had blown up right after the sentence was uttered and caused a huge ruckus in the Hokage's office. But the good news was, with the human-shaped hole on one of the walls within the Hokage's office, so had it closed the curtains to the tiresome ordeal.

Sakura made her way to the kitchen, stopping only upon an aroma she was so familiar with, yet could not remember being in her apartment before. That was until she stopped dead and allowed the scene before her slowly sunk in.

Here within her flat and inside her kitchen, was Itachi. _Cooking_.

Sakura stared at the man lounged in her kitchen completely out of place, and yet compliant in culinary arts. She was stupefied.

As if sensing her dumbfounded gaze, the subject in question looked up from the sizzling pan filled with array of food as the aroma she smelt before poured out into the air they breathe. Her stunned eyes met his calmed ones.

"Y-you can cook?" Sakura blurted out in the midst of shock.

Itachi merely gave her a look before turning his attention back to the finished dish and switched the heating stove shut.

Recovered from her shock attack, Sakura found a nearby stool and sat down heavily while watching Itachi pour the cooked dish into a plate with a huff.

"You never told me. You could have helped me," Sakura accused as she glared daggers onto his back.

"I underestimated your… determination."

A single plate was placed before her eyes, and she looked up into the twin orbs of obsidian.

"You are not eating?"

"I ate already," Itachi said easily and ruffled her hair lightly, and in return, he received an annoyed glare from the pink haired medic.

"I'm not a kid, Itachi."

Sakura's breath silently hitched at the sight of the rare and heart-stopping smirk from the raven-haired man before her. Strangely enough, he always had that effect on her.

"Yes," was his quiet answer. In his onyx, tranquil eyes, Sakura found her own pair of apple green eyes stared wide-eyed back at her.

The slight churning in her stomach reminded her body's need of nutrients and forced her to return her attention to the hot plate of food below her noise. Dabbing her chopsticks carefully into the dish, Sakura took in a small bite.

"This is good," she muttered.

With her entire attention on the plate, Sakura missed the look of satisfaction in Itachi's eyes as the man sidestepped her and towards the door.

"I have to take care of things for now." His step paused in the middle, "As for your… concerns about cooking, you needn't worry about them. I'll take care of that from now on."

Sakura's eyes widened at the retreating shadow of Itachi. "What do you mean from now on?" Inwardly, she was afraid that she had read too much in between the lines, outside, she was just…shocked.

"You are not… moving in here with me, are you?" She couldn't help it. She had to ask.

Itachi did not turn to witness the anticipation in her eyes like an eager child waiting on snow; instead, he chuckled as he continued out the door without glancing back.

"Close but not quite."

On top of a small table in a secluded corner in the living room, a small key caught and reflected the small beam of sunlight across the wooden floor; attached to the metal piece, was the famous emblem of the Uchiha clan.

* * *

A/N: Yes, it's here, the epilogue. I know, I've been eating a lot of my words recently, I'll try not to do that in the future. This is the best I can do in between my academia and my almost non-existence free time as of now. Should there be extra time, I'll probably revise this a little.

This ending is still open-ended like the previous one, but it should tie up some lose ends in between the chapters. And with my schedule now, this chapter really will be the last in _And I you_.

Needless to say, I'll have to thank all my readers and reviewers for supporting this story. I would not have gotten this far if not for you guys, so here's the big thank you for you all.

Now that this story is done, I'll be utilizing my remaining free time on the upcoming story I have in mind for a long while. And for those who read _Remembrance_, here's a note: it will soon be deleted not because I can't finish it, but rather, it will fuse with another story. So there's that bit of information.

Reviews and constructive criticisms are greatly welcome and appreciated!

Envo 10/17


End file.
